North Hempstead, NY – Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth and the Town Board remind residents that the last and final Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (S.T.O.P.) events of 2017 will be held on Saturday, October 28 and Sunday, October 29 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at North Hempstead Beach Park’s North Lot.

At the upcoming October S.T.O.P. events, the Town will be distributing FREE paper lawn and leaf bags to residents. The paper lawn and leaf bags can be used to dispose of residential yard waste in an environmentally friendly manner.

The S.T.O.P. program offers Town of North Hempstead residents the opportunity to dispose of dangerous and chemical waste that is too dangerous to dispose of with routine curbside pickups. Residents can return items such as aerosols, household chemicals, pesticides, disinfectants, fertilizers, bulbs, thermostats, rechargeable and lithium batteries, TV’s and computers. Latex and water-based paints, once dried out (usually 24-36 hours after the lid is removed) can be placed in a trash bag and thrown out with your regular household garbage. Latex and water-based paints will not be accepted at the S.T.O.P. collection site. Oil-based paints, on the other hand, are considered hazardous, and will be accepted at any S.T.O.P. program.

Residents may also bring their sensitive documents to the S.T.O.P. event for proper shredding and destruction to prevent identity theft. Any documents brought will be shredded on site by a document shredding company and then transported to a pulping mill for recycling. There is a limit of 6 “Bankers Box” sized boxes or bags of paper per car, per event. Once the documents are shredded, they will be placed into containers and sent directly to pulping mills. For every 2,000 pounds of paper the Town recycles equates to 17 trees saved.

The Town will no longer be accepting pharmaceuticals at the S.T.O.P program. To dispose of unwanted medicines, please drop them off at your local police precinct.

The S.T.O.P. events will also have a clothing donation area thanks to North Hempstead’s partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Representatives of Big Brothers Big Sisters will be collecting gently used and working clothes, stuffed animals, electronics, toys, sporting equipment, shoes, books, small area rugs, bikes, scooters, luggage, picture frames, table lamps, bolts of fabric, silverware, glassware, dishes, and cosmetics. Each resident will receive a receipt for their donation for income tax purposes.

“The Town is proud to be able to continue to offer a convenient and environmentally responsible way for our residents to dispose of hazardous and sensitive waste,” said Supervisor Bosworth.

For more information on the S.T.O.P. program, please call 311 or (516) 869-6311 or visit northhempsteadny.gov/stopprogram